For the last two decades, brand growth has largely been dictated by one strategy: spend more on ads. Buy more reach. Buy more impressions. Buy more attention. And hope the cost per acquisition doesn’t spike before the next quarter closes. But here’s the truth: that era is over. But here’s the truth: that era is over. Ads are noisier. Social feeds are saturated. Traditional measurement is broken. Customer acquisition costs are rising across nearly every channel. And the playbooks that worked from 2010 to 2020 simply don’t map to how people behave in 2025. The next decade belongs to the brands bold enough to be social-first. Not in the superficial sense of “posting more,” but in fundamentally rethinking how brands create influence, build loyalty, and generate demand. At TYB, we call this shift community commerce—and we believe it will define the biggest winners of the 2020s. TYB community commerce That’s why the new Social-First Marketing Playbook is built around community-driven growth, creator-led storytelling, and automation, which will rewire the marketing landscape. Below is a snapshot of what’s coming—and the frameworks every CMO needs to prepare for it. The Old Playbook: Broadcast and Buy The Old Playbook: Broadcast and Buy The historical model looked like this: Create brand assets
Buy distribution (TV, display, programmatic, influencers)
Optimize for clicks and conversions
Repeat Create brand assets Buy distribution (TV, display, programmatic, influencers) Optimize for clicks and conversions Repeat This linear “factory model” worked when attention was centralized and media was predictable. But today, attention is fragmented, algorithmic, and community-controlled. People trust people, not polished campaigns. They buy from brands that feel human, conversational, and participatory—not passive. The biggest shift is psychological: Customers no longer want to be marketed to. They want to be invited in. to in This changes everything. The Rise of Social-First Marketing The Rise of Social-First Marketing Social-first brands treat community not as an afterthought, but as the foundation of their entire strategy. They: Build for participation instead of passive consumption
Enable co-creation with customers rather than broadcasting at them
Distribute through networks, not just paid media
Reward engagement and advocacy instead of renting attention Build for participation instead of passive consumption Enable co-creation with customers rather than broadcasting at them Distribute through networks, not just paid media Reward engagement and advocacy instead of renting attention In other words, they treat customers as a distribution channel, not a cost center. distribution channel This is where the next wave of growth will come from. Creators: The New Media Partners Creators: The New Media Partners The creator economy isn’t a trend—it's the new supply chain for culture, storytelling, and distribution. But the future of creator partnerships isn’t about paying for one-off sponsored posts. It’s about building long-term creative ecosystems where: Creators collaborate on product direction
Communities remix and amplify content
Influencers and micro-creators power thousands of authentic touchpoints
Brand storytelling moves at the speed of culture, not quarterly planning cycles Creators collaborate on product direction Communities remix and amplify content Influencers and micro-creators power thousands of authentic touchpoints Brand storytelling moves at the speed of culture, not quarterly planning cycles The most resilient brands won’t be the ones with the biggest budgets—they’ll be the ones that turn their creators and customers into an always-on, self-sustaining media network. always-on, self-sustaining media network Automation: The Only Way to Scale Social-First at Enterprise Level Automation: The Only Way to Scale Social-First at Enterprise Level The biggest objection I hear from CMOs is: This sounds great, but how do we manage this at scale? This sounds great, but how do we manage this at scale? This sounds great, but how do we manage this at scale? You can’t manually manage thousands of creators, millions of micro-moments, or infinite community signals. You need automation that: Detects what content is resonating in real time
Surfaces high-performing creators automatically
Rewards community behaviors dynamically
Routes UGC into paid amplification when it’s outperforming brand assets
Provides measurement frameworks that actually reflect how social influence works today Detects what content is resonating in real time Surfaces high-performing creators automatically Rewards community behaviors dynamically Routes UGC into paid amplification when it’s outperforming brand assets Provides measurement frameworks that actually reflect how social influence works today At TYB, we’ve seen that when you combine automation with community-led distribution, the results can exceed paid ads—while building far deeper loyalty. Because the truth is simple:Automated systems don’t just optimize campaigns—they unlock new forms of creativity, participation, and momentum. Community Commerce: The Engine Behind the Next Generation of Breakout Brands Community Commerce: The Engine Behind the Next Generation of Breakout Brands Social commerce is becoming the dominant way people discover and buy—but it’s evolving beyond “shopping on social platforms.” The real unlock is community commerce, where customers actively participate in: Discovering products
Creating content
Driving engagement
Amplifying the brand
Sharing reviews
Influencing their peers
Participating in gamified missions or rewards
Building identity with the brand Discovering products Creating content Driving engagement Amplifying the brand Sharing reviews Influencing their peers Participating in gamified missions or rewards Building identity with the brand This is how modern loyalty is generated: not through points, but through belonging. Brands like Rhode and SKIMS have shown how community-led virality can outpace traditional media, driving millions in revenue—not because of celebrity, but because of participation. Every day, customers are posting, creating, remixing, and sharing. That’s not an accident. It’s a system. Rhode SKIMS And soon, it will be table stakes. What Enterprises Need Now: New Frameworks for Real-Time Marketing What Enterprises Need Now: New Frameworks for Real-Time Marketing In the new Growth Playbook, outline the frameworks CMOs need to stay safe, agile, and performance-driven in this environment. 1. Community-First Experimentation Models 1. Community-First Experimentation Models Stop optimizing only for clicks. Start optimizing for participation, sharing, content creation, and referral loops. 2. Creator Flywheels 2. Creator Flywheels Replace one-off campaigns with ongoing community collaborations that build momentum over time. 3. Safety and Brand Governance Layered Onto Social Automation 3. Safety and Brand Governance Layered Onto Social Automation Enterprises need real-time monitoring, compliance controls, and automated audits to keep community activation both creative and safe. and 4. Distributed Distribution Models 4. Distributed Distribution Models Shift from centralized media buying to community-powered reach—where the demand signal starts from your users. 5. Real-Time Learning Loops 5. Real-Time Learning Loops Move away from quarterly reporting cycles. The brands that win will operate on hourly and daily intelligence fed directly by social data and community signals. This is the new operating system for modern growth. The Next Decade Belongs to the Social-First The Next Decade Belongs to the Social-First The brands that will define the 2030s aren’t the ones with the biggest ad budgets—they’re the ones that understand this simple truth: Your community is your moat.
Your creators are your media network.
Your automation is your engine.
Your social presence is your storefront. Your community is your moat. Your creators are your media network. Your automation is your engine. Your social presence is your storefront. If you’re still optimizing banner ads while your competitors are building communities, you’re playing the wrong game. The next wave of brand growth won’t be bought.It will be built. One creator, one customer, and one community moment at a time. And the companies bold enough to embrace this shift early will be the ones shaping what modern marketing looks like for the next decade.

The is an opinion piece based on the author’s POV and does not necessarily reflect the views of HackerNoon.

Social Commerce: The New Growth Engine for Brands

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